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Tuesday, January 28, 2014

I am such a fan of statement hallways. Hallways with bold stripes, amazing gallery walls and fabulous lighting. Our hallway takes us to the upper level bedrooms and the main bathroom, and it is traveled quite a bit throughout the day. And it is far from a statement anything. The last peek you snagged at our hallway was when we decided to bring some beautiful stripes into our dining area.

The hallway had received a fresh coat of paint (Glidden's Smooth Stone), which is the same color that is seen within the stripes and will ultimately be on all of our main walls in our upper level. That was a huge start to a few updates I am wanting to make. It always amazes me what a simple coat of paint can do.

But do you see what I see? Those lights....? Those are 12+ years of gettin' things done lights, but not anything all that pretty to look at.

For the past couple of years I have been on the hunt for some sort of fun statement solution that wouldn't break our bank or hang too low. I kept finding myself coming back to these beautiful capiz shell options. My tummy would get first-kiss butterflies every time I would set my eyes on one of the pretty pendants, and then it would get that deep aching pain of rejection every time I would set my eyes on the prices.

Last August I spotted some similar style capiz shell candle lanterns on Joss & Main. I have since also seen them for even less at HomeGoods.

I couldn't help but cross my fingers that we would be able to somehow take these candle holders and use them for our hallway pendants. I triple checked the size and couldn't help but notice the striking resemblance to the inspiration versions, so I took the risk and ordered. I figured that in a worst-case scenario, these beauties could be hung on our front porch during summer months should this not go as planned. That is not a bad worst-case to be in. When we finally received the lanterns, they were just as beautiful as I had hoped.

And then they sat. Sat in the storage room waiting to be installed. And then we started cleaning out said storage room and found them and remembered that we needed to get on it already. And then Christmas came....

If we would have known how simple this project would be, I am guessing it wouldn't have taken us so long. It was crazy easy, which makes for a really happy hubby.

Because the original fixture couldn't be retrofitted to work with the candle holders, my Mr. started out by installing new ceiling fixtures that fit the opening of the holder much better. We found these ceiling mount light kits from Home Depot, and once I got them home I dug through my spray paint collection and gave them a quick coat of brushed nickel. The original white finish wasn't jiving with the capiz shell structure.

Bryan has always been the one to change out our light fixtures, so this was really straight forward for him. However, if you are a newbie, you can find many tutorials online similar to this one here.

After the light kits were installed, it was time to attach the candle holder. We started by using a wire cutter to snip out the actual tea-light holder portion from the bottom.

This left a nice opening for light to shine down through the bottom of the fixture. The top of the lantern had small loops for hanging. We just used some picture hanging wire to loop through the candle holder and the small holes in the side of the ceiling fixture.

Once the wire was wrapped tight and secured, that was snipped down as well.

The bottom of the holder has an opening wide enough that I can just stick my hand inside to change the light-bulb without the need to remove the fixture entirely.

Candle holders as light fixtures. Who knew? We are smitten!

Last year I had found some $1 square unfinished wooden frames from Michaels. I thought they would make for a fabulous Instagram gallery wall. So, a few coats of paint and some gold gilded label holders later...

Super happy and cute and they make me smile every day, but something is still lacking as they just are not substantial enough. The hallway is calling for a chunkier gallery wall install, so I have been building up frames and prints for that, and I am hoping to sprinkle these smaller frames in with the updated mix.

The style of light definitely is not for everyone, but we are crushing over this quick and easy upgrade. And knowing that we saved hundreds over the inspiration options, well, you know how that feeling goes. The belly butterflies are back! It is the perfect way to kick off our quest to add a little pizazz to the hallway.

How do you make your hallways a statement area in your home? Have your been turning any odd items into lighting pieces?

Just beautiful! I love those lights and agree with you that a more substantial gallery wall is needed. Although, I love the Instagram photo wall. Such a cute idea. (Don't even get me started on the love I'm feeling for that rug!)

Looks great! I love the little frames that you painted. I have a very similar navy and white striped rug in my hallway. I just bought mine a few days ago and love how it looks. And those lights....they are so fun!

Jen, I love my family very dearly, but can I come live with your family and be your daughter?! I seem to be the only one in my family with the organizing gene... living in your house would be heaven! Surely one more teenage kiddo couldn't hurt, could it? ;)

I love them in higher traffic areas. I am a huge fan of Dash & Albert and they seem to clean up nicely. Some definitely are not as soft as others, and for cozy living spaces and bedrooms I tend to prefer softer indoor options.

Jen, As far as your hallway gallery wall, have you thought about the knock off Pottery Barn ledges. Anna White has a tutorial to make them for $10. I think your hallway is wide enough to accommodate. And, BTW, gorgeous fixtures. You guys are so crafty and adventuresome.

I love those ledges, however, the hallway tends to become a playing ground for the boys at times {running through playing hide & seek, brotherly wrestling matches, etc...} I fear that anything sticking out too far would cause a risk for injury.

I see some blue missing in that hallway. Instead of painting the edges of the frames pink (which would be so stinkin' cute!!!), could you paint them the same blue that you used for the shelves in the bathroom re-do? It would give that pop of color. The other thing is to paint the wall that she gallery is on a darker color, to make the frames pop. Blue, gray, teal... Just that wall. Leave the other side white and accessorize with brighter colors on the white wall. Just a thought.

LOVE that light fixture and it is a dead-ringer for the #3 inspiration fixture. Well done, Mr. Hubs!!!

I found a couple outside lantern lighting that I LOVED, of all places at The Habitat Re-store! I picked them up for a steal at $20/ea. Only problem was, there were meant to be "hard-wired" outdoor lanterns and we didn't have access to wire them for less than thousands in hardscaping/electrical costs. Hubby found "low voltage/landscape bulbs" the same size and tied them in to our landscape lighting. Voila! We now enjoy the lanterns every night when our backyard landscape lighting comes on.

I love the stripes and the lights! I need to do something to my hallway. I'm a fan of using hallways for pictures. We've only been in our new rental for about 3 months.... so slowly but surely I'm getting things done :)

Your hallway is gooooorgeous! I love the Instagram wall - as apartment dwellers, we have lots of those funny-sized wall spaces to fill up. I'd love to do something similar in our place. Love the lights too!

I love it! We only have a small hallway in our house (that has 4 doorways pretty much back to back), so there is not much we can do. However, you inspired me to think about changing the light fixture in there. We live in the Twin Cities, but we love the cottage/coastal look (which your fixtures definitely resemble as well), so we would definitely stick with something with that vibe. I love the hallway! I also love seeing the view of the other rooms for the hallway! So pretty!

I love the transformation. It looks fantastic and like you have given the hallway so much personality. I especially love your creativity with the light fixtures, though I was curious - are there any safety concerns? I've never messed around with anything like that because I've always been nervous about such a hot bulb near something that wasn't intended to be a light fixture.

I always assess safety when making lamps or pendants from non-traditional objects. In this case, there are many fixtures on the market made from the same materials. The light bulb does not come in contact at all with the tealight holder over the top, and we are selective about the bulbs we use as well. I think it is definitely something to think through when installing any type of lighting fixture.

I love the lights. We are currently shopping. I see a lot online but I hate the prices. Even so it makes me so nervous to buy something like that without seeing it in person. Glad yours worked out so well.

I have also heard that Walgreens prints Instagram photos, however, I can't speek to the quality or service because I have not tried them personally: http://photo.walgreens.com/walgreens/storepage/storePageId=Mobile

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